Invest in Me – WATC Event, Experience of a team member!!

The much awaited annual event of WeAreTheCity India – Invest in Me was held on October 26, 2015 at JW Mariott, Mumbai.

I was really glad to be part of this event as a Hyderabad Committee member.

Talking about the event, as the name suggests, the theme of the event was – Invest in Me. The event emphasized on the importance for women to be able to invest in themselves, upgrade themselves, upscale their skills, learning and experience. There was another message for women as well – to be able to stand for themselves, to be able to express their goals and have their own vision. These goals could be related to their professional aspirations, personal acquisitions or their intent of societal contributions, women should be able to express them and work towards achieving them.

The event started with a key note by Anuranjita Kumar (MD and Chief Human Resource Officer Citi South Asia). The key note was a quick glance into her efforts of how she relentlessly worked towards her aspirations and goals despite all odds. She then spoke about three major crossroads a woman faces in her life – Marriage, Mobility and Maternity (3 M’s). She believed these could be a blow to mid-career female professionals but insists work-life balance is not a fantasy. She then shared various instances from her professional journey emphasising about how these three M’s enabled her to progress further in her career and was able to shape up her career the way she expected. In the end, she encouraged women present in the event to live their life with courage, conviction and confidence. After all destiny favours those who works towards making odds as possibilities rather than those who give up gloomily.

Next was the interesting presentation from Tejal Gandhi, a successful financial advisor and Co – Chair for WeAreTheCity India. Tejal shared the importance of why women need to manage their funds and not be solely dependent on their spouses, trustworthy friends or respective CA’s. It’s their money and hence their responsibility to manage it wisely. The presentation concluded with some eye opening tips on how one can manage their investment efficiently.

Lastly, there was an interesting panel discussion in which esteemed panel members shared their thoughts and opinions about how their confidence and self-belief kept them doing what they believed in, what they were passionate about and how taking risks in life sometimes does leave us with rewarding experiences and knowledge.

The entire event clearly reflected on the need for women to invest in themselves with some great examples from our own society. These women and men have really set an inspiring image for the community of individuals that need a role model to look up to. While women are gradually learning to express their aspirations and dreams regarding the way they want to lead their lives, to be a successful professional, social activist, dedicated homemaker or caregiver, I do feel there is still a large section of our society which hesitates in giving such liberties to women and want them to lead their lives as their parents, spouse or in-laws want for them. I personally wish that families realise the gradual evolution that is taking place in our society and encourage women of their houses to fulfil their dreams, help them carve a success path for themselves and take pride in their successes.

Concluding, what I got back with me along with the goody bags… – An immense positivity, connecting with some great women, inspiring stories and viewpoints, a clear vision for future plans and lastly my happiness and feeling of pride that I invested in ME!!!